


The Wonder of Water

by SkywalkerForever



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Lives, Canon Divergent, F/M, Force bonded dyad, Happily Ever After, Post-TROS fix it, Redeemed Ben Solo, Romantic Fluff, Shower Together, Twitter Prompt, bath together, mention of shower sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:41:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26450560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkywalkerForever/pseuds/SkywalkerForever
Summary: Based on this Twitter prompt: by @Reylo_BenxReyAfter Ben and Rey run away from the war, Ben has to explain to Rey the stuff in the shower and has to guide her and help her.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 22
Kudos: 148





	The Wonder of Water

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be just fluffity-fluff-fluff, but it got a little poignant, too. I’m sure water showers and baths work much differently in the GFFA, but it was fun to write it like this. (I seem to have a thing about Rey and water. 😂) Hope you enjoy!

The house was larger than Rey expected. Situated atop a tree-covered mountain, the pale structure with clean lines was secluded by a surrounding forest with a broad opening in the trees for a landing pad. An array of windows across the front provided a view of rolling hills which dropped off in a gentle slope and ended in a vast field of wild flowers. 

Rey removed her helmet, climbed out of the X-wing, and looked around the landing pad. Ben’s TIE fighter wasn’t here. For some reason, that made her uneasy. As if she were intruding somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be. 

But that was foolish. Ben had asked her to join him here at his family home on Chandrila. She had made a brief visit to Ajan Kloss after the battle at Exegol to assure her friends and allies that she was all right and collect her few belongings, but she made her exit three days later, explaining that she had something to do. It was a weak excuse and she managed to dodge the resulting questions with vague answers, but Maz Kanata had looked at her knowingly. And smiled.

She followed the path from the landing pad along the front of the house and slowed, feeling suddenly…nervous. It was disconcerting and there was certainly no reason for anxiety. This was what they had planned. In the falling debris and ash on that grimy Exegol cavern floor, she and Ben had confessed their love, the words tumbling out between scattered, zealous kisses. 

After she had healed his broken bones so that he could walk, they’d made hurried plans of where to escape as the world crumbled around them. She had asked him to come with her to Ajan Kloss, but he’d answered simply, “Not yet.”

They had both been in shock after the battle with Palpatine. Weak, exhausted, and drained of most of their power, they supported each other as they climbed out of that dark and decimated structure to their antiquated ships. He had kissed her goodbye and she had promised to join him soon. But was this what he _really_ wanted?

She felt more than heard her name in his voice, “ _Rey_.”

She looked to the front of the house and there he was, standing tall in the doorway. He was smiling that broad, beautiful smile and he leapt down the steps even as she rushed toward him. They met each other halfway and all her doubts melted into nothingness when he scooped her up in his strong arms and buried his face in her hair, repeating her name like a sacred mantra.

She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into the house, kicked the door shut, and pressed her against it with a blistering kiss that she eagerly returned.

Later that night, she lay in his arms in the largest, softest bed she’d ever seen. The sheets were cool and silky and there were so many fluffy pillows. She had been focused solely on Ben when he’d carried her to this bedroom and now, hours later, she finally looked around.

The room had a high ceiling and the walls were colored a soothing, neutral gray. There was a comm station and a sitting area and doors that led to a closet, maybe? And refresher? The decorations were sparse, but a framed portrait on the wall caught her attention. A woman with long, brown, curly hair stood in profile gazing out over a lake. She was beautiful and Rey wondered who she was to have a place of honor in this room.

Beside her, Ben stirred and pulled her closer. She stretched up and kissed his neck, inhaling his delicious masculine scent. He moaned softly and rolled her onto her back, his warmth and weight pressing her into the tangled sheets as his lips descended on her neck in return. After that, she didn’t think about the portrait again.

*

Rey was alone in the bed when she woke the next morning with filtered sunlight glinting through the windows. She stretched under the covers feeling rested and pleasantly sore. Ben emerged from one of the doorways with a towel wrapped around his waist. She smiled appreciatively. Gods, he was the most beautiful man. 

And…he was _wet_.

She sat up quickly. “Why are you wet?”

“I took a shower,” he answered casually, using another towel to dry his hair.

“Right.” She looked at the door behind him. “But, you’re _wet_.”

He lowered the towel from his hair, which left it spiky and mussed.

“I’m wet from the shower,” he answered, giving her a quizzical look.

Rey glanced around the room again. “The shower is _inside_ the house, right?”

And now Ben was looking at her like she had taken leave of her senses. “Yes…..”

This was getting frustrating. She started again, matter-of-factly, “I just don’t see how you’re _wet_ from a sonic shower inside the house.”

Realization dawned on his face and he broke into a grin. He flung the hair towel over his shoulder. “You’ve never had a water shower, have you?”

Rey crossed her arms indignantly. “No. I never got that high up in Jakku royalty.”

Ben laughed aloud at that and held out his hand. “Come here. I’ll show you.”

She swept up the tunic he’d been wearing and pulled it on over her head as she climbed out of the bed and took his hand. Intimacy in the bed was one thing, but walking around naked in front of open windows was not something she was ready for yet.

He led her into a room like nothing she’d ever seen before. It had the usual components of a refresher, albeit a huge one, but the far back wall was made of some type of smooth stone. The area was surrounded by clear transparisteel and enclosed several shelves and what looked like a sonic shower head but much larger. 

Still holding her hand, he guided her to the enclosed area and pointed to two regulators on the wall. “Hot water. Cold water. And when you dial them together, you can control the temperature of the water.”

Rey looked up at him and then back at the wall. “Okaaay...”

Smiling, he punched the controls and a wide spray of warm water erupted from the shower head. 

Rey jumped back in surprise and Ben laughed. Hesitantly, she stuck her hand under the stream of water and the rest of her body soon followed. “This feels amazing,” she said, smiling as she turned in a slow circle. 

“It is customary,” Ben said behind her, “to remove your clothing in the shower.”

She turned and he was leaning against the wall with an amused grin. “Oh?” she said, reaching out and tugging him toward her by the towel around his waist. Looking up at him, she pulled the towel loose and let it drop around his feet in a puddle. “What else is customary?”

He held her gaze with his dark eyes as he slid his now-wet tunic over her head and dropped it to the side.

“I generally start with shampoo,” he said, reaching for one of the bottles on the shelf. He poured a white liquid into his palm. “May I?”

She nodded. He didn’t have to ask, but she appreciated that he did. Through their bond, they knew each other’s souls, but this physical closeness, this kindness and friendship, it was still so new. 

He took her loose hair in his hands, gently working the liquid into a lather. And she had thought the water alone felt amazing. Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead against his broad chest as he lathered and rinsed her hair. The bubbles and warm water cascading down her bare skin were like nothing she’d ever felt before. 

Ben’s voice rumbled in his chest. “I love touching your hair,” he said softly. “I wanted to. Several times. But….” His voice trailed off. 

She looked up at him. They had not yet talked about the past. Any of it. Would it break this beautiful spell if they did? There was a pain of regret in his eyes. She felt it in his spirit and saw it in the sudden tightness of his jaw. 

She reached for his face and caressed his cheek. There was nothing but adoration and forgiveness in her heart and she closed her eyes, pouring that love into him and felt his tension flow away. When she opened her eyes, his were clear again and she whispered, “I know.”

After a moment, she glanced over to the shelves and asked, “What’s next?”

She felt he was silently grateful for the change of subject and he held two bottles out to her. “Soap. Pick one.”

“They look the same.”

He popped the tops off. “Smell them. Which one do you like?”

She sniffed, promptly snorted water up her nose, and started coughing. 

“Oh!” Ben said apologetically, patting her back. “I’m sorry, I forgot! You need to stick your head out of the water to do that.”

Sputtering, she took the bottles and leaned out of the stream. One smelled like spice. Like Ben smelled, actually, and she took a moment to enjoy the fragrance. The other smelled clean, like freshly washed fabric, and…something else she couldn’t place but she liked it. She held it up. “This one.”

Replacing the other bottle, he took it and poured a generous amount onto what looked like a type of sponge. He worked it into a lather and asked, “May I wash you?”

She smiled. “Of course. You really don’t have to ask.”

He gave a little self-depreciating shrug and pulled her close, starting with her back. 

She melted against him. _This…oh, this was…_

She couldn’t even think of the words as he carefully rubbed the lather over her entire body with his massive hands. He started with the sponge but abandoned it when his bare palm spread the slick soap over her hip and she moaned with pleasure.

When he stood up from washing her legs, she stepped back into the water stream and slipped sideways on the soapy floor. She squeaked in surprise, but Ben caught her under the arms. “I’ve got you,” he said. “Sorry, I should have warned you it can get slippery.”

“It’s all right.” She beamed in his arms and reached for the shampoo bottle. “My turn.”

Even though he had just bathed, he lowered his head a little so she could lather his hair. She worked her fingers through his dark locks and luxuriated in the sensation. 

“I wanted to touch your hair, too,” she said softly. “Especially on Kef Bir when it was wet and in your eyes.”

He answered simply with a vulnerability in his voice she had never heard, "I would have let you."

He raised up and she held his gaze with intent as she poured soap into her hand and started to wash him. But she wasn’t even halfway done before she discovered that water showers were not only for getting clean.

~*~

The next morning, Ben was putting the breakfast dishes in the cleaner when Rey’s voice echoed down the hall. “Ben?” 

She sounded concerned. “Yes?” he answered, wiping his hands as he left the kitchen.

“Why is there a hole in the floor?”

A hole? He’d checked the house thoroughly when he’d arrived, even inspecting for surveillance devices in case the home had been breached. He had not seen a hole.

“Where?” he asked and followed her down the hallway. 

She went into what had been his mother’s suite and pointed. “There.”

Rey was pointing at the large sunken tub. “It’s not really a hole, but…a basin? In a bedroom?”

Ben pursed his lips, suppressing a smile. “That is a bath tub.”

She blinked at him.

“For bathing.”

She looked between him and the tub and planted her hands firmly on her hips. Oh, she was adorable. Dwarfed in one of his tunics with her hair still messy from bed, she stared up at him, a defiant little spit-fire. “Ben Solo, if you tell me that you fill this with water –”

“You fill it with water,” he interrupted, rocking back on his heels, grinning. 

He wasn’t quite sure how to interpret her expression, so he walked over and knelt by the tub to turn the dials and start the water flowing. She came to stand beside him. “Does every house here have this?”

He stood, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “No. My parents were quite comfortable.”

“How long did you live here?” she asked, watching the water fill the tub.

“A few years, when I was young. Before…” he answered. 

He sensed her tension even before she spoke. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up memories.”

“Don’t,” he turned and faced her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. He looked directly into her hazel eyes. “Don’t apologize, Rey. We can talk about anything.”

She relaxed and he touched her cheek gently. “I mean that,” he said sincerely. “Don’t feel like you have to be careful around me. I promise I won’t sprout yellow eyes and start hissing in Sith.”

She blinked in surprise. “Do you _know_ Sith?”

“No,” he grinned, leaning down to turn off the water. “I do not.

The tub was full and he motioned toward the water. “Would you like to take a bath?”

She looked down dubiously. “Will you join me?”

“If you like.”

“It would be a terrible waste of water if we didn’t,” she said hesitantly.

“Spoken like a true dessert flower,” he answered, kissing the top of her head. “Go ahead. I’ll be right back.”

He went to the kitchen and when he returned carrying a bottle and two glasses she was submerged in the tub, her hair floating and fanning out around her face. His heart skipped a beat. She was smiling serenely and he thought back to every time he’d seen her face before. She’d been afraid, angry, forlorn, devastated, and hurt, usually by him. He couldn’t take it back, but he could make sure she spent the rest of her days looking as peaceful and happy as she did right now.

“This. Is. Incredible,” she said, a little loud since her ears were under water.

He sat on the edge of the tub and placed the bottle and glasses beside him. “I thought you might like it.”

She raised up and noticed the bottle. “What’s that?”

“Corellian wine,” he answered, opening the bottle and pouring each of them a glass of the burgundy liquid. 

She started to get up and he waved her back down. “No, no, stay there. I’ll hand it to you.”

Settling back against the side of the tub, she took the glass, sipped, and moaned appreciatively. “Oh, that is delicious.”

He smiled. “It was one of my mother’s favorites.”

She looked up quickly and the words hung between them. He waited as a dozen expressions crossed her face and she finally landed on a small smile. “She had good taste,” Rey said quietly and then cleared her throat. “Are you getting in?”

Fortunately, the tub was huge. He hadn’t yet put a shirt on and he slipped his shorts off in the tub and flung them over the side before lowering himself into the water across from her. 

She sipped her wine again. “This is… _luxurious_.” Her expression turned vaguely discomfited. “Who _lives_ like this?”

“You do,” he answered, taking a drink of wine. He thought that would make her smile, but she most definitely looked uncomfortable now and he put his glass down. “What’s wrong?”

Her eyes scanned the water and she seemed to be trying to find the right words. “It’s just,” she started, motioning with her hand. “It’s just…I think of where I came from, and all the suffering that’s still out there, and this seems…”

“Indulgent,” he finished and she nodded.

He scooted close to her and took her hands in his. “My love, less than a week ago, you died to save the galaxy from the Final Order. You’re allowed to rest and enjoy yourself.”

She studied his face intensely. “Was I really dead?” 

They had not yet talked about this either. He took a deep breath and let it out shakily, the memory still like a knife straight into his heart. “You were gone from the Force. Completely.” He raised her fingers to his lips. “I thought I had lost you. And I’ve never been so terrified in my whole life.”

She came to him immediately. Straddling his legs, she pressed her soft lips to his. “You could never lose me, Ben,” she said with gentle fierceness when she pulled back, placing her small but strong hands against his chest. “ _Two that are one_.”

He pulled her into an embrace and held her tight against his chest. She fit there perfectly, like she’d been made for him. The water lapped around them as he leaned against the side of the tub, holding her securely in his arms. Of course, she would worry about the plight of others before herself. She had the heart of a true Jedi. He had felt such pain in her. The type of pain that lingers long after the suffering is over. He knew it himself. 

As he held her head against his shoulder and buried his face in her hair, he vowed silently that he would burn down worlds to keep her from feeling that fresh pain ever again. 

She pulled away and he gazed up at her lovely face. She shone so brightly, inside and out. When she sank her hands into his hair and her mouth onto his, he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her in tight.

The power of their bond surged between them in soothing waves like the water around them. It was getting stronger every day, gradually returning to the full strength they’d had on Exegol. This love - their light - it would heal them both.


End file.
